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CNN NEWSROOM
Addressing Sex, Gender and Hatred in Wake of Santa Barbara Shooter; CDC Backtracks on MERS; New Report -- 1,700 Phoenix Vets Never Even on Wait List; Shinseki Calls "Reprehensible"; I.G. Reports Mismanagement, Harassment, Bullying at Phoenix V.A.; Donald Sterling to Fight Forced Sell of Clippers; Michelle Obama Fights Congress on School Lunches; "THE SIXTIES" Premieres Thursday
Aired May 28, 2014 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
EMILY LINDIN, FOUNDER, THE UNSLUT PROJECT: But my point is that we all need to take responsibility for the way that we talk about sex, for our own assumptions about females and sexuality and the way that we approach it as a society, so that the types of resentment and hatred that Rodger acted upon aren't fostered and aren't enforced or condoned.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: I really appreciated what you said. You talk about speaking up.
When a man in our group of friends speaks disrespectfully about a woman he would like to have sex with, I would just say we all need to speak up when a man speaks disrespectfully about women.
But still -- and listen, guilty right here, sometimes. It's not always -- sometimes you just don't want to deal with it, so you just listen to it; you move on.
But we should stop doing that.
LINDIN: And it's people of all genders. I want to make that really clear. This is not just a problem for men.
Women participate in it. People who are transgendered participate in it. I mean, this idea that specific genders have specific sexual functions and roles that they ought to be fulfilling is really pervasive.
And it's important that men get on board and work with us toward changing that part of our culture, so I don't want to just target men when I am discussing the conversations that happen.
BALDWIN: Absolutely. Emily Lindin, we will all read your piece, CNN.com/opinion. Thank you so much. Appreciate you coming on.
LINDIN: Thank you.
BROOKE: And we are just getting some new details about a reported MERS case in the Midwest this afternoon. This afternoon, the CDC is backtracking just a bit, wanting to clear up information that it released earlier, so we will have the facts for you, coming up.
Also ahead, the first lady, Michelle Obama, takes on Congress. She has some strong words for some of our country's top politicians. You will hear why she is so fired up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Eleven days ago, the Centers for Disease Control announced that a third person in the United States had contracted MERS, but now the CDC officials are saying they were wrong.
So senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining me, and specifically that case, that was when we made a really big deal, because we thought it was a really deal from the CDC that it went from person to person.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. This was the first time that MERS had gone from person to person in the U.S., plus it appeared that it went from person to person with just a one-hour business meeting and a handshake.
BALDWIN: So we should be saying thank goodness.
COHEN: Absolutely, you should be saying thank goodness it doesn't spread as quickly at they thought it did in this case, but it is a little bit -- you know, this is an interesting situation here, because the CDC has a special press conference on a Saturday, says third infection with MERS, and now they're saying, guess what? We were wrong.
BALDWIN: So they jumped the gun.
COHEN: The way that they put it is this. There's a series of tests they do to see if someone's positive, and the first two tests, which are the quicker tests to do, were positive.
And they said, look, we wanted to let the public know. We are here to be transparent to the American public. Positive MERS test, we wanted to tell people.
The third test, which takes longer but is more definitive, that's the one that said no, and they said it would have been irresponsible, basically, of us to not report a positive result, even if it means, 11 days later, having to go back.
And what's interesting is that this such a new disease that all of these tests that they do -- I mean, we're watching the sausages get made, you know? This is new to them, and so they're going to be refining their testing as this goes on.
BALDWIN: I'm glad it wasn't a positive instead of the reverse.
COHEN: Yes. That is better to be reporting a negative than a positive. BALDWIN: Exactly. Thank you so much for that update.
Coming up next, it is a case of he said/she said with hundreds of millions of dollars and the ownership of an NBA team hanging in the balance.
Shelly Sterling is reportedly trying, talking to some people, thinking about selling the L.A. Clippers, but her husband, Donald Sterling, is putting the NBA on notice with this 26-page letter, saying he will fight to keep the team.
Which is it? How does this work, legally speaking? We will get into that.
Plus, this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got some -- we got some money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Money, that was the scene on live TV just this afternoon.
This wealthy man is placing envelopes all around San Francisco, giving people clues over Twitter, cash in those envelopes, by the way.
You will hear from him, coming up next here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, here's an update on our breaking news now, because we are getting official reaction from the V.A. secretary, Eric Shinseki, to this new information, in addition to the myriad of other developments when it comes to this V.A. scandal that CNN and all of our months of investigating burst wide open.
So, as result of CNN's investigation, there has been an inspector general investigation, and so the latest developments, other than these alleged fake wait lists, is the fact that now we're hearing specifically at this Phoenix V.A. facility that there were 1,700 veterans who wanted to be put on this wait list for treatment and care, and apparently, these 1,700 veterans are missing, were never put on this list, number one.
Number two, we know that they have been investigating some 26 or so V.A. facilities across the country. That number is now, according to this report, up to at least 42 different facilities.
And finally -- and we're going to get some clarity on this coming up on "THE LEAD" as to what this means because -- the i.g. is also reporting that they found numerous allegations, daily, of mismanagement, inappropriate hiring decisions, sexual harassment and bullying behavior at this Phoenix facility.
So here is what we're now hearing from Eric Shinseki. He is calling this news today "reprehensible," and he is vowing further action. So that is what is coming from the secretary, Shinseki.
I should note that Jake Tapper, coming up in a couple of minutes on "THE LEAD," will be airing an interview with the deputy national security adviser, Tony Blinken.
And according to Mr. Blinken, the president of the United States finds the news that we're reporting on today extremely troubling.
More on that coming up in 20 minutes on "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper.
Next here with me on CNN, the L.A. Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, saying he will fight to keep his team. He's calling out players in the process. So that's his story.
But on the flip side, his wife is reportedly trying hard to sell the team. Which is it? Can this work in tandem? We'll talk about that with Chris Cuomo.
Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin.
Donald Sterling says he is not going to sell his team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and he's coming out swinging at the NBA.
In his formal response to the league's quest to take away his team, he called the proceedings, quote, "a sham," used the word "draconian" and a violation of his constitutional rights.
What's more here, Sterling said those racist comments, that racist rant, that was made, he says, in private between two quarreling lovers and that they do not constitute a violation of the NBA rules.
Is he right? Joining me now, CNN "NEW DAY" anchor and also a lawyer, Chris Cuomo, nice to see you, sir. Thank you for staying up with us.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": What a pleasure.
BALDWIN: What a pleasure.
So let's talk about Donald Sterling, because I just want you to react to his legal strategy. I'm sure you have read through this thing. Here you also have his wife, Shelly, saying -- reportedly looking at people to buy the team.
What's the strategy here?
CUOMO: What would be interesting to know whether or not this is what they call concerted action, whether Shelly and Donald are working together on this hedging their bets, Shelly going the "sell-it" route, kind of working with the league, and Donald kind of preserving that ability to obstruct, maybe slow down or somehow resist what's going on. My suggestion is from what I'm able to understand from people close to the situation, is that's not true, that Shelly wants nothing to do with Donald Sterling. She's trying to sell.
She wants her own relationship. Maybe she is able to keep some type of interest down the road. Who knows what she wants? But that she is acting independently.
So then we just look at what Donald Sterling's putting up here. This is basically as many pages worth of whatever it is, 24, 27 pages --
BALDWIN: Twenty-six.
CUOMO: -- of, basically, filler and here's why. If this were the court, civil court, even criminal court, you would have all of these arguments about what's admissible evidence, what's due process, et cetera.
He has very limited ability to argue that, because he entered into a deal that had specific rules for a specific club, and one of those rules is not that we have admissibility of evidence rules.
So as we heard from the NBA commissioner from the get-go, how this recording came out, how it was done, how it was revealed, he doesn't care. It's about the content of what was in it and its effect on the brand of the NBA.
And that is the key component, because the document that you sign here when you are eligible for a franchise, the owner's agreement, is a little vague on this. This is not something that is contemplated.
You know what, Brooke? A lot of things weren't contemplated by the Founders of this country, either, in the Constitution, and in a similar fashion, this document is open-ended on what constitutes an abuse of the brand, an infraction, and it is definitely muddled.
But the impact on the brand has been pretty obvious. You had advertisers pull out, potential boycott by the players, lots of bad press by people like you and me. So they're going to make a pretty easy argument that what he did hurt the brand, and that's what triggers their ability to have a vote and kick them out.
BALDWIN: That's interesting, though, that the folks you are talking to who are more familiar with the situation, saying that they are not working in cahoots, which is -- we will see what happens, you know, a lot coming up in the next couple of days with this vote.
But while I have you, Chris Cuomo, and what a treat to have you on, I would like to switch gears. I'm going to throw something at you, because I know you guys talked about this on "NEW DAY."
Let's roll the video. 50 Cent -- I don't know if you've ever thrown out a pitch, Cuomo. Have you ever done this?
CUOMO: Wow. Let me tell you I've thrown --
BALDWIN: Because it wasn't pretty.
CUOMO: -- a lot of pitches in my life --
BALDWIN: This wasn't pretty.
CUOMO: -- thrown a lot of pitches in my life, Baldwin, and I have to say this one of the worst-looking efforts I've ever seen in my life.
And look, let's be honest --
BALDWIN: So you're telling me you would have done a better job?
CUOMO: I honestly believe I could kick the ball towards home plate better --
BALDWIN: I think your daughter could have done a better job (inaudible) as we say.
CUOMO: You want an interesting and personal insight, Brooke Baldwin --
BALDWIN: Yes.
CUOMO: -- tear me down?
BALDWIN: Hit me. Hit me.
CUOMO: My son, Mario, 8-years-old, was at the game last night, at the Met game, and caught a foul ball --
BALDWIN: What?
CUOMO: -- with his hat.
BALDWIN: With his hat?
CUOMO: And this guy, who like lifts like a Toyota, can't even throw the ball near --
BALDWIN: From the mound. Where is he? I'm not quite sure, home base, does he need glasses? I don't know what's going on.
CUOMO: I have never seen anything like that. It's like the functional equivalent of Roseanne Barr's singing the National Anthem.
BALDWIN: I would like to see the photo of little Mario with his ball.
Chris Cuomo, thank you so much, and of course we --
CUOMO: A pleasure.
BALDWIN: -- watch you each and every day with Kate Bolduan, Michaela Pereira, 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 in the morning, on "NEW DAY."
Thank you, sir. Appreciate it very much.
CUOMO: Oh, go on. BALDWIN: Coming up, she has been very outspoken about healthy eating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can take it from me, eating the right foods can help make you a better athlete.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So now the first lady's taking on some members of Congress here to get her vision of healthy meals in schools across the country, there's legislation out there.
But we're going to talk to the assistant White House chef about Michelle Obama's plan and why some in Congress oppose this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, the first lady, she's biting back at critics on Capitol Hill who want to chop tough nutrition guidelines from school programs.
House Republicans are considering stripping tough nutrition guidelines from federal funding requirements for schools who say they cannot afford it.
But Michelle Obama, she's ready for a fight over food.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Parents have a right to expect that their kids will get decent food in our schools.
And we all have a right to expect that our hard-earned taxpayer dollars won't be spent on junk food for our kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Sam Kass is the executive director of Michelle Obama's Let's Move Campaign and a White House senior adviser for nutrition policy. Sam, welcome.
SAM KASS, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR POLICY ADVISER ON NUTRITION: Hi. How it's going?
BALDWIN: It's going well. Let's begin with what's going on with you and, you know, that house behind you, because the biggest criticism of the school lunch program is that it's just too expensive.
What do you say to schools saying they can't afford it?
KASS: Well, we've -- we know that 90 percent of schools have already met the new standards. And yesterday the first lady held a roundtable with school nutrition directors from all over the country, L.A., from New York City, small district in Georgia, a number of others, who all say that this is working.
And they champion these standards, and they know it's what's best for kids.
So, with a little help and encouragement, I think we're seeing this being implemented successfully, all over the country.
BALDWIN: OK. Sam, let's just be real, because I'm talking a lot of parents, I, myself am not one, but I hear from -- that their kids, they don't want to eat healthy stuff.
I know that, apparently, these mass-produced lunches are not wonderful. And now you have these schools saying that they are just chucking out all this food because kids just aren't eating it.
How do schools avoid that?
KASS: Well, actually, a recent study by Harvard showed that fruit and vegetable consumption was actually up, whole grain consumption also up and actually plate waste had not increased as a result of these standards.
Now plate waste is an issue in schools, but it's also an issue in our country. We throw away, as a nation, a third of what we produce, so this is an issue not unique to schools.
And I think we're seeing districts across the country come up with very innovative ways to reduce waste, by making share tables where kids can leave food that they don't want for other kids to take, kids are able to take food outside the cafeteria, which, for a long time, they weren't.
So there's a lot of progress being made there. The thing we don't need to see is politicians and industry interests attempting to trump our nutrition standards set by independent experts and determine what is good for our kids and what's not.
BALDWIN: OK. And I think why this story really strikes a chord with a lot of people, we don't normally see the first lady putting herself out there and criticizing, you know, some members of Congress in such a public way, and she really is now, it seems to me, now for the first time, in the line of fire.
KASS: Yeah, well, this means a lot to her. What we're seeing is an attempt to roll back standards that ensure that kids are going to actually be served a fruit or vegetable, that they're actually going to get food that has whole grains in it and not too much sodium and for the first time ever going to ensure that junk food isn't going to be sold in our lunch lines and our vending machines.
And we've seen this before. Not too long ago, Congress stepped in, you know, after being pressured by industry, and classified pizza as a vegetable as part of the school lunch program.
So we're seeing this happen and play out again, which is why I think the first lady's stepping out strongly. We know we have a lot of work to do to ensure that our kids grow up healthy.
BALDWIN: OK, and eat the healthy stuff.
KASS: Yes.
BALDWIN: Sam Kass for us, from the White House. Thank you for taking the time with me. I appreciate it.
And before I go, just a quick reminder to tune in to CNN tomorrow night, 9:00 Eastern and Pacific, it is the premiere of CNN's new 10- part series, "THE SIXTIES."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Channel one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear me now speaking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By 1960 every household in America had a television.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no denying the shift in attitudes towards sex, towards race relations, towards politics. It was all televised.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never has the dissent been as emotional, as intense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When there was a huge thing that happened, it happened on TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three-hundred-thirty Americans were killed in combat last week in Vietnam, but number of wounded, 3,886.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People looked to television for answers, maybe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm getting ready to go to college.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone was dropping out and doing God knows what else, and I wasn't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was this really aggressive innocence to it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honey, where are the --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a place to escape to.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even if they tried to keep TV this homogenous, whole-milk product, the world found its way in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "THE SIXTIES," series premiere, tomorrow night at 9:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Tune in tomorrow. I'll see you back here tomorrow.
And now "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.
